Printing



NOV. 1, 1938. H, P, E| |0TT 2,134,815

PRINTING Filed March 20, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l /'2 PAY /34\ l JoHN ooe[i4 Bos-rou MASS XYZ NAT, BANK.

BOSTON MASS.,

JOHN nos /54 Bosvon mss (f TI--IIL EMM P. /m

NOV. l, 1938. P, ELLIQTT 2,134,815

PRINTING Filed March 2o, 195e 4 sheets-sheet 2 Jlvenqz". (www P. m

Nov.A 1, 193:3.A H P.

ELLIOTT 2,134,815

PRINTING Filed March 20, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 OHN DOE BOSTON MASS JOHNDoE 70 Bos-ION MASS figc@ 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. 1, 1938. A||. P. ELLIOTTPRINTING Filed March 20, 1936 JOHN DOB BOSTON MASS .wf 4 lll l A A .f

Patented Nov. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 18 Claims.

This invention relates to an addressing machine and has particularreference to a machine which is capable of printing an address and atthe same time registering selected statistical information on theaddress bearing sheet.

It is desirable for many purposes to make a printed record of a list ofaddresses and certain information or statistics relating to theaddresses. For instance, an electric utility which retails electricalappliances may desire to increase its load by increasing the use ofelectrical appliances on its system by inducing its customers topurchase appliances which they lack. The utility obviously desires itssalesmen to devote their time in interesting the customer in applianceswhich the customer does not have. From information previously obtainedthe utility knows what appliances each customer has.

In accordance with this invention the salesmen can be furnished with theaddresses of the customers and a list of the appliances that thecustomer has, or a list of the appliances the customer does not have,the list and the address being furnished automatically by the machine ofthe present invention.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a collection ofprinting devices, as stencils, each bearing an address and statisticaldata, and an addressing machine capable of recording on a sheet theladdress borne by the stencil and the statistical data, or desired partsof such data, borne by the stencil.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a collection ofaddress bearing printing devices, as stencils, the stencils also bearinga collection of statistical items and perforations corresponding toselected items, and a printing or addressing machine operative upon thesuccessive stencils and having a plurality of pins or the equivalent,one for each item on the stencil, and adapted to pass through theperforations of the stencils and make a record of the perforation on thesheet receiving the address of the stencil, thereby to transfer to theaddress bearing sheet the data that is selected on the stencil by theperforation. From the perforation record of the address bearing sheetthe corresponding items can readily be identified.

A yet further object of the invention is the provision of an addressingmachine arranged to record the address of a plurality of address bearingdevices and also to indicate, upon the same sheet as that receiving theaddress, statistical information carried by the printing device, and inthe same relative position on the address receiving sheet as theinformation is located on the printing device.

Another object is to provide a machine which will print a completeaddress on a sheet and at the same time record on the sheet selectedstatistics.

The present invention is also useful in addressing a check or the likeand in providing the check with the amount to be paid in such mannerthat the amount cannot readily be altered. The method of forming thecheck and the check thus formed constitute a further object of thepresent invention.

Another object is generally to improve upon printing and addressingmachines.

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of an addressing machine embodying thepresent invention, the stencil receiver being removed.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the addressing machine of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail taken along line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan View partly in section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional elevation taken along line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a sectional detail illustrating the action of the sheetperforating pins.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a stencil embodying the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of an address receiving sheet embodying a part ofthe present invention.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a. check prepared in accordance with thepresent invention.

Fig. l1 is a plan view of a stencil for preparing the check of Fig. l0.

'Ihe addressing machine embodying the present invention, seeparticularly Figs. 1, 2 and 3, comprises a horizontal table l0 supportedon legs I2. A pair of parallel rails I4 are disposed in spaced relationabove the top of the table and extend lengthwise thereof and from atrack along which successive printing devices, as stencils, are adaptedto be moved into and out of an addressing pos'- tion. A vertical stackof printing devices as stencils I6 is contained in a vertical stencilholder I8 located above the track at one end thereof. The successivelowermost stencils of the holder are advanced out of the holder and intoand along the track by a reciprocating stencil pusher 20. Stencils aredischarged from the track at the other end thereof into a stencilreceiver 22.

Printing mechanism is located intermediate the length of the stenciltrack. The printing mechanism includes a printing roll 24 which islocated above the address-portion of the stencil and above the stenciltrack. Said roll is freely rotatably supported between the arms 26 of aprinting frame, which frame is journalled by a horizontal shaft 28 in abracket 30 secured to the table I0. The printing roll receives ink onits periphery by engagement with a rotatable ink distributing drum 32supplied with ink from an ink roll 34. The inking mechanism forms nopart of the present invention and hence need not be described in greaterdetail.

The printing mechanism also includes an anvil 36 which is locatedbeneath the printing roll and is integral with the front ends of arms 38which are pivoted at their rear ends at 40 to the bracket 30. Theprinting roll and anvil are located on opposite sides of the stenciltrack and are movable toward' and away from opposite sides of thestencil by mechanism that includes a reciprocating arm 42.

Said arm 42 is pivoted at 44 to the bracket 80 and is connected to thearms 26 that support the printing roller through a link 46 that ispivoted at one end to an intermediate part of said arm 42 and at theother end to a depending arm 48 connected with the arms 26. The arm 42is also rigid with an upstanding cam arm 50 that is engageable with acam roller 52 journalled on the platen arms 38 and serves to raise andlower the platens. 'Ihe arm 42 is also rigid with a stencil advancingarm 54 that has a cam slot 56 therein in which the free end of an arm 58is located. Said arm is fixed to the lower end of a vertical hub 60,which hub has an upper forwardly extended arm 62 that is connectedthrough a link 64 with the stencil pusher 20. The arrangement is suchthat the reciprocation of said arm 42 causes the printing roll and anvilto be moved toward and away from the stencil to effect a printingoperation of the address borne by the stencil and also to advance thesuccessive lower stencils in the holder I8 out of the holder and intoand along the track and into and out of printing position.

The arm 42 is reciprocated by a power mechanism 66 common in the art andcontrolled by a foot pedal 68, the depression and subsequent release ofthe pedal eiecting one complete reciprocatory movement of the arm 42.The machine as thus described is more or less common in the art.

The printing device or stencil I6 forming a part of the presentinvention is illustrated particularly in Fig. 8. The stencil comprises astiff rectangular sheet or plate having a window in one portion thereoftraversed by a stencil 10 that bears the address 12. At one side of thewindow is a printed form 14 formed of a plurality of vertical andhorizontal columns, thus dividing the form into rectangular portions,each rectangular portion of which can be separately identified byreference to its vertical and horizontal co-ordinance cate that theaddressee owns a radio, sub-division Il may mean that he does not have aradio, subdivision III may mean that he owns a battery operated radio,sub-division IV, an all electric radio, and so on. Thus a concernselling electrical appliances and desirous of furnishing its salesmenwith statistical information concerning their customers will punch aperforation in sub-division II indicating that the addressee has noradio and hence should be a possible customer for one. A perforation insub-division III indicates that the customer has a battery operatedradio and hence should be a possible purchaser of a more improved radio.'Ihus by perforating the selected sub-divisions the stencil becomes arecord of statistical information appertaining to the address and themachine of the present invention is arranged to transfer thisinformation to a record sheet preferably at the same time it prints theaddress on the sheet, thus rendering the information immediatelyavailable for use.

In Fig. 8, the sub-divisions I6, 23 and 49 are illustrated as havingperforations and these perforations are transferred to an addressbearing sheet by the present machine. The address bearing sheet may besuch a relatively thin sheet 82 as is illustrated in Fig. 8. The sheethas a space for receiving the address 12. At one side of the space canbe a printed form 84 corresponding to the printed form 14 of the stenciland containing the same number of sub-divisions numbered in the sameorder. As illustrated, the sheet 82 has been used in connection with thestencil I6 and has the address 12 and has received perforations 86 inthe sub-divisions |6, 23 and 49, which correspond with the perforations80 of the stencil I6.

'I'he meaning of the perforations can be printed as a code list on aseparate sheet so that by looking at the sheet the meaning of aperforation in any sub-division can be ascertained. There is noobjection to printing the code on the sheet 82, if desired, however.

The mechanism for perforatlng the address receiving sheet 82 inaccordance with the perforations of the stencils includes a punch pinguide plate 88 which is disposed horizontally above the stencil space ofthe track in the rea; of the printing roll 24 and above the portion ofthe stencil that bears the forms 14 when the stencil is in addressingposition. Said plate is disposed beneath and is secured by screws 90 toa pair of supporting straps 92 which straddle the stencil track onopposite sides of the addressing position and are secured to the tableI0 by screws 94. A punch pin carrying plate 96 is disposed in spacedrelation above said plate 88 and is guided for vertical movementthereabove on vertical pins 98 which are fixed to and upstand above theplate 88. Helical compression springs |00 encircle said pins and bear atthe opposite ends against said plates 88 and 96 and serve to maintainsaid upper plate 96 yieldingly against the heads of limit screws |02,see Figs. 4 and 6, which pass loosely through the upper plate at theopposite ends thereof and are screw-threaded into the lower plate 68.

'I'he plates 88 and 96 are provided with a plurality of verticallyaligned openings |04 and |06, respectively, which are adapted toregister with the perforation receiving spaces 18 of the stencils andalso with such perforations 80 as there may be in the stencils. Punchpins |08 are received loosely in said sets of openings |04, |06 of thetwo plates. Said pins have enlarged heads H0 which lle upon the top faceof the uppermost plate 96, thereby to hold the pins in normal positionwith the rounded ends ||2 of the pins about flush with the lower face ofthe plate 80 and hence out of engagement with the stencil. The pins inthe upper plate 96 are moved downwardly at each addressing operation soas to move any pin that may be in register with a perforation 80 of thestencil through the opening and into engagement with and into or throughthe paper sheet 82 disposed beneath the stencil.

The means for moving the plate 96 and punch pins downwardly includes asoft rubber pad ||4 which is secured to a metal backing plate |I6 thatin turn is attached by angle members ||8 to the printing arms 26 thatcarry the printing roll. The rubber pad ||4 is disposed above the headsof the pins and the plate 96 and during the downward movement of theprinting arms 26 is moved into engagement with the heads of all the pinsand moves the plate 96 downwardly and the pins downwardly intoengagement with the stencil. The downward movement of the rubber plateH4 is adapted to be sulcient to move through the stencil such pins asare in register with perforations 80 of the stencil. The rubber plate,however, is adapted to yield at the head of a pin which impinges againsta stencil in a portion that is not perforated, thereby to prevent damageto the stencil and to permit further movement of the plate to carryother pins through the perforations that are aligned therewith. Thisaction is illustrated particularly in Fig. 7 where the left hand pin hasbeen moved through the perforations 80 of the stencil and the right handpin has impinged against the top face of the stencil and the headthereof has become imbedded into the rubber pad I4.

A second rubber pad |20, which constitutes a yielding anvil for thepins, is located beneath the stencil track and under the collection ofpins. Said' pad, see especially Fig. 3, is secured to the upper face ofa metal backing plate |22 that rests upon a supporting plate |24 and issecured removably to said plate by a gib |20. Said supporting plate issecured rigidly to the under face of the anvil 36 by screws |28 and isalso braced from the anvil arms 3B by brace members |30. The upper faceof the anvil pad |20 is about in the plane of the upper face of theanvil 36 and is adapted to hold the paper sheet 32 in engagement with orclose under the upper face of the stencil during the addressingoperation thereby to hold the paper sheet 32 directly under anyperforations 80 of the stencil. `The downward movement of the pins |08is sufficient to force the pins into or through the paper sheet byindenting the anvil plate |20 thereunder, as is illustrated in Fig. 7,thereby causing the paper sheet to be punctured or ruptured to providethe perforations 86. The adjustment of the pins and anvil |20 also canbe such that the pins merely indent but do not actually perforate therecord sheet. Thus the paper sheet 82 is caused not only to receive theaddress of the stencil but to receive a record of the statistical itemscarried by the stencil and indicated by the per-forations thereof. Thenature of the items indicated by the perforations 86 can be determinedby comparison with a numbered table of the items. Thus the sheet 82 mayindicate, for instance, that the addressee has an out-of-date electriciron, as represented, for instance, by the perforation in thesubdivision |6,-lacks an ironing machine, as indicated by theperforation in the sub-division 23, and lacks an electric hot waterheater,

sponding perforations.

as indicated by the perforation of the sub-division 49. Any kindofstatistical information can be recorded against the addressr andtheparticular type of information herein used is merely for illustrativepurpose.`

The paper sheet 82 is properly positioned under the stencil by beinglocated between the brackets 92. If desired a third positioning plateA93 can also be employed against whichthe front edge of the sheet 82 canbe abutted.

While the record sheet has been illustrated herewith as indented orperforated to record the statistical item, a record can be otherwisemade with the pins |08 as by ink or the like in any suitable or obviousmanner not necessary to illustrate.

The record sheet is relatively thin as compared with the stencil so thatthe pressure required'to indent or perforate the sheet is not suiicientto indent or harm the thicker'stencil.

The printing device need not necessarily be the stencil `hereinillustrated. It can be any device having means which intercepts therecording action of the record pins |08 or allows them to pass to effectthe recording of the statistical item which they represent. v

A special form of statistical data that can be recorded by the presentinvention at the same time that the address is recorded is the amount ofchecks; and the present invention is adapted for the purposeof'recording on a check blank the address and the amount of the check,the amount of the check being represented by perforations which cannotbe tampered with readily to alter the amount of the check. Fig.illustrates such a check and Fig. l1 illustrates the stencil for makingthe check. Such checks, as is illustrated in Fig. 10, are especiallysuitable for dividend checks and the like where the same amount is sentrepeatedly to the same address.

The check |32 contains a printed amount form |34, an address space |30,space |38 for the data, another space |00 for the signature and printeddata |42 denoting the bank or other repository on which the check isdrawn. The printed form |34 consists of ten vertical columns |44 and asmany horizontal columns |46 as will be needed for indicating the highestamount to be written.`

If, for instance, the highest amount, in dollars, would be representedby four iigures then the check will have six horizontal columns, the twotop columns being the cents columns and the four bottom columns beingthe dollar columns. The vertical columns bear consecutive numbersrunning from one at the left to zero at the right hand column. Thus eachvertical column will have repetitions of the same numeral where it iscrossed by the horizontal column. The stencil |48 has a printed form |50corresponding to the form |34. If a check is to be made out for $39.54,for instance, the stencil will have perforations in the top fourhorizontal columns, the perforations lying respectivelyvin the third,the ninth, the fifth and the fourth vertical columns. Thus when thestencil and the check are brought into registration the address borne bythe stencil will te recorded in the space |36 and the correspondingcolumns in the printed form |34 of the check will receive correspondingperforations |52 which are easily read. To guard against the possibilityof raising the check by perforating other columns the stencil hasperforationsy |54 inthe zero localities of the bottom two columns sothat the corresponding columns of the check will receive 'corre- Thecheck will thus read $0039.54. A check that has more than oneperforation in any vertical column indicates that it has been tamperedwith.

I claim:

l. The method of rendering available statistical items which consists incoding such items, applying the code to a printing device bearing anaddress associated with the statistics, printing the address borne bythe printing device from the address onto a sheet and also directlyrecording on the sheet selected code items carried by the printingdevice.

2. The method of recording an address and statistical items relating tothe address, which method comprises forming a printing device with theaddress and means representing the items, and utilizing the printingdevice directly to make a record of the address and selected statisticalitems on the same record sheet.

3. The method of recording an address and statistical items associatedwith the address, which method comprises forming the address on aprinting device and forming the printing device with means indicative ofstatistical items and utilizing said printing device directly to make arecord of the address thereon and the positions of the statistical itemindicating means thereof.

4. The method of rendering readily available for use statisticalinformation relating to an address and contained on a printing devicehaving address forming characters, and means indicative of thestatistical items, which method comprises making a direct record of theprinting characters -of the printing device on an impression sheet, andutilizing said statistical item means to make a direct record on thesheet corresponding to said items.

5. The method of recording an address and statistical items associatedwith said address, which consists in forming a printing device withaddress characters corresponding to the address, and means selectivelylocated on said printing device in positions denoting predeterminedstatistical items and utilizing said ,printing device to record on arecord sheet and .bythe address characters of the address borne by saiddevice and to record directly by said means -the locations of saidstatistical item means.

6. The method of recording statistical items associated with an addressformed of addressprinting characters contained on a. printing device andwherein the statistical items are 'represented by means selectivelypositioned on the printing device, which method consists in recording bythe address characters of said printing device the address on theprinting device and by said statistical item means the positionsthereof.

7. In an addressing machine adapted to operate upon printing deviceshaving address forming characters and statistical item indicating meansselectively positioned on the printing device, means for directlyrecording the address borne by a printing device and also the positionof said indicating means.

8. A printing machine adapted to operate upon a succession of cardsadapted to have selectively positioned perforations therethrough, meansfor advancing said cards in successive order, means arranged to entersaid perforations and record the position thereof, said means comprisinga bank of record-sheet marking pins positioned to register with theperforation receiving zones of said cards, means to move said pinsthrough perforations aligned therewith, and means for supporting arecord sheet in position to be engaged and marked by such pins as passthrough the perforations. vil

9. In an addressing machine adapted to operate upon a stencil havingaddress forming means and a plurality of perforation receivinglocations, means for recording the address of the stencil, and means forrecording the position of a perforation of the stencil comprising aplurality of perforation indicating members positioned to register eachwith a separate perforation receiving location of the stencil, and meansto move said members into and out of engagement with the stencil andinto and out of a perforation thereof and also into and out ofengagement with a record sheet positioned under the perforation.

10. In an addressing machine adapted to operate upon a stencil havingaddress forming means and a plurality of perforation receiving locationsthereon, means for supporting a record sheet beneath the address formingmeans and the perforation locations of the stencil, means for recordingon the record sheet an impression of the address on the stencil, andmeans for also recording directly on said sheet the position of a.perforation of the stencil.

11. In an addressing machine adapted to operate upon a stencil havingaddress forming means and a plurality oi' selectively positionedperforation receiving zones, means for supporting a record sheet beneaththe address forming means and the perforation receiving zone of thestencil, printing means for recording the address of the stencil on therecord sheet, means for recording on the record sheet the position of aperforation of the stencil including a plurality oi' perforationrecording members positioned in register with the aforesaid zones of thestencil when the stencil is in recording position, and means to movesaid members into and out of engagement with the stencil and into andout of a perforation thereof and into and out of engagement with therecord sheet in register with the perforation.

12. A printing machine adapted to operate upon a stencil having addressforming means and a plurality of perforation receiving zones. means forsupporting a record sheet in confronting relation with the stencil,means for recording the address of the stencil on the record sheet, a.plurality of perforation recording pins movable through a perforation inregister therewith into and Iout of engagement with the record sheet,resilient supporting means for said pins, and yielding means for movingsaid pins towards said stencil, said yielding means being constructedand arranged to yield when a pin is stopped from further movement byengagement with the stencil and to permit continued movement of saidyielding means to move a pin that is in register with the perforationthrough the plerfration or into engagement with the record s ee 13. Inan addressing machine adapted to operate upon a stencil having addressforming means and a plurality of perforation receiving zones, means torecord on a record sheet an impression of the address forming means ofthe stencil, and means directly controlled by the stencil to perforatethe record sheet in a locality corresponding to a perforation of thestencil.

14. In an addressing machine adapted to operate on a stencil havingaddress forming means and a plurality oi' perforation receiving zones,means to support a record sheet in operative position with respect tothe stencil, means to record on the record sheet the address of thestencil, a plurality of sheet perforating pins disposed in register withthe perforation receiving zones of the stencil when it is in printingposition, and means to move a pin that is in register with a perforationof the stencil through the perforation and into the record sheet.

15. An addressing machine adapted to operate upon a stencil havingaddress forming means and a plurality of perforation receiving zones,means to support a record sheet in operative position with respect tothe stencil, printing means for recording the address of the stencil onthe record sheet, a plurality of sheet perforating pins, means forsupporting said pins in lregister with the perforation receiving zonesof the stencil when the stencil is in printing position, means forsupporting said pins normally in elevated position out of engagementwith the stencil, and yielding means engageable with all of said pinsfor moving it toward the stencil, and a,pin that is in register with astencil perforation through the perforation and into engagement with therecord sheet, and means for operating said pin moving means and saidprinting means conjointly.

16. In an addressing machine adapted to operate upon a stencil havingaddress forming means and a plurality of perforation receiving zones,means to support a record sheet in operative position with respect tothe stencil including an anvil of yieldable material disposed under theperforation receiving zone of ythe stencil when thestencil is inprinting position, printing means for recording the address of thestencil on the record sheet, a plurality of sheet perforating pins,yieldable means for supporting said pins normally in elevated positionabove the stencil in register with the perforation receiving zonethereof, and means including a pad of yieldable material movable intoengagement with said pins and operative to move said pins downwardlyinto engagement with the stencil and to move further in the samedirection to move a pin that is vin register with a stencil perforationthrough the perforation and through the record sheet.

17. In an addressing machine adapted to operate upon a stencil havingaddress forming means and a plurality of perforation receiving zones,means to support a record sheet in operative relation with respect tothe stencil, a plurality of perforation recording pins, a stationaryguide plate which supports said pins in register with the perforationreceiving zones of the stencil when the latter is in printing position,a yieldingly supported `guide plate which carriesv said pins, a yieldingpressure pad engageable with said pins and said yielding plate andoperative to move said pins and said yielding plate toward the stenciland to yield at the region of its engagement with a pin the movement ofwhich is stopped by engagement with an imperforate zone of the stencilto permit continued movement of the pad to move a pin that is inregister with a perforation through the perforation or into engagementwith the record sheet, and means for reciprocating said pad toward andaway from said pins.

18. In a statistical recording machine operative upon a succession ofdevices having control means positioned to indicate selected statisticalitems, of a plurality of operating members corresponding to statisticalitems and positioned to register With the possible position of saidcontrol means of said devices and movable to eiect the direct Arecordingof the positions of the items represented thereby under control of saidcontrol

